Electrode contact



1943- E. w. FORSTROM 2,452,917

ELECTRODE CONTACT F'iledJune 26. 1944 Pi I.

Inventor: Edward W Forstrom,

ji/ yD His Attorney Patented Nov. 2, 1948 I nnno'rnpnn; oon'rao'r" Edward W. ol-strum. suntan-doom,- assignmtoGeneral Electriccompany, a corporation of New York j Application J n 26, last, serial at. 542,119

1 My invention relates to' ultra ,high frequency discharge-devices and, in'particular';

\ frequency electrondischarge devices of the type employing cavity resonators as external circuits to arrange the electrodes of the device in spaced axial alignment and to form the external terminals'for the electrodes as disk-like members having astep-wise configuration. .Such a configuration facilitates insertion acavity resonator.

. H Itfis an object of the presentinvention to Droi contact-making arrangement for an ultra high.

frequency electron discharge device which automatically corrects for both vertical and lateral eccentricities in the electrodes of the device. -Itis a further object of myinvention. to pr vide a new'and improved contact for a disk-like electrode.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a new and improved resiliently supported contact for a tubular electrode.

. to contacts v ,for the electrodes of such devices. 2

,It is known in the construction of ultra. high 5 discharge device -.'l inserted into an ultra high plan viewof theltubular electrode contact as assembled. P i

Referring particularly to Fig. 1.0f thetdrawing. there is shown an ultra high frequency electron frequency circuit of the cavity resonator type.

The ultra high frequency electron discharge de vice- Tcomprises a thermioniccathode 2, an anode I, and an interposed grid electrode 4, The

l" cathode isconnected-for high frequency currents Oneof the features of the invention includes,

the use of an anode clip 'inthe form of a pair of bifurcated fingers which are supported by a flexible metallic loop .to permit alignment both verticallyahd laterally. Another feature consists in the use of a contact for a disk-like grid 35 shoulder l8 atthe base of the tube I. Currents fingers mounted on the inner surface of a tubular electrode which includes a plurality of resilient conductive member, the. fingers being provided with surfaces formed to preclude catching of the rings of the disk electrodes on the fingers with attendant injury to the glass-to-metal seals 0 the device.

For a bettenunderstanding of my invention, referencemay be had to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the 4 ments employed in the contact arrangement of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 illustrates a blank used in forming a contact for a tubular electrode and Fig. is a of the devices into to a cylindrical external electrode 5, the gridis connected to a disk-like electrode i, and the anode is connected to a .tubular electrode-I having at its base portion a disk-like flange 0. The

external electrode connections are maintained in spaced relation by a plurality of insulating cylinders 9, l0, hermetically sealed therebetween.

The cavity resonator for the device I is illustrated as of the radial transmission line type and 2 comprises an anode-grid cavity resonator and a grid-cathode cavity resonator it having a common metallic boundary It. The grid electrode disk '8 is connected to the metallic boundary ll through a contact arrangement illustrated in detail in Fig. 2 and to be described morefully hereinafter. 'The tubular anode electrode I is provided with a flexibly supported contact-" mounted on fixed supports 18 and to which energizing potential is supplied by tans of a contact tab l'l. High frequency connection-of the for the filament heater and cathode of the device I may be supplied over a plurality of external lead-in conductors 20 extendingfrom the baseof the tube. v

In the operation of high frequency circuits of the type described, it frequently becomes necessary to change tubes. It. is desirable, therefore. to permit a flexible contact arrangement with the electrodes of the tube which compensates for eccentricities of disk electrodes, such as the electrode I, and variations in length and eccentricities of tubular electrodes, such as the electrode 1. as well as differences in spacing between electrodes due to variations in the length of in sulating tubes 9 and ii. A contact for a disklikeelectrode which permits a. wide amount of eccentricity in the electrode, as well as variation i-nits longitudinal position, is shown in Fig.2. The grid contact arrangement I there illustrated comprises a flat plate member 2| having a och-.-

tral aperture 22. conductive flange-23, which may be formed integrally with the plate 2i and which extends perpendicular to that plate, has a diameter substantially larger than the diameter of any disk-like electrode which the contact ar-v rangement is adapted to receive. Attached to the inner surface of the flange or tubular member 23, as by'means of rivets 24, are a plurality discharge device of the type having a disk-likev electrode and a tubular electrode spaced apart along the axis of the device. The resilient fingers of the contact arrangement l4 guarantee that'no'injury will be caused to the glass-tometal seal about the disk electrode 8, at thesame of resilient contact members 25. In the arrangement shown in Fig. bers are provided.

An individual contact member 25 is shown in 2, twelve such contact memenlarged view in Fig. 3 and comprises-a base portion 26 having a pair of apertures 21 for recelving'the rivets which attach it to" the conductive flange 23 and a resilient C-shaped finger 28 attached to the base portion 26 by an arm 28 and inclined to the base portion at an angle of from to 60. Preferably, the entire contact is formed of a suitable spring material, such as, for example, phosphor bronze, and the base portion 26 is curved to correspond-with the curvv v of "myinvention. it will of course be understood 5 I template by the appended claims to-cover anyature of the inner surface of tube 23. The por- I 1,

' tion 29 is angularly inclined to the base portion 26 and the resilient finger 28 is likewise inclined to the connecting arm 29. When the contacts 25 are attached to the flange 23, the resilient finger 28 of each of the contacts partially overlies the base portion 28 of an adjacent contact. The ion gitudinal length of the contacts 25 is madeat least as great as the longitudinal length of the dielectric cylinders 8, ill so that it is not possible to wedge these contacts between two adjacent disk electrodes to cause injury .to the glass-t0-.

metal seals. The innermostedges of the 6- shaped portions 28 liesubstantially on a circle the disk electrode as it is inserted and withdrawn and injuring the glass-to-metal seals of the tube.

The metal blank used for forming the contact l5 for the tubular anode 1 is shown in Fig. 4 and the contact in assembled form is shown in Fig. 5. The unitary metallic-blank 38 has a pair of bifurcated members 3| ,32;- a pair of base members 33, 34, to the former of which is attached the contact tab l1; and flexible loop portions 35, 36 connecting the members 33, 34, respectively, to the finger portions. The base portions 33, 34 are each provided with a pair of holes 31 which, when the contact is in assembled position, overlie and provide means by which the contact may be fastened to the supports it as shown in the apparatus of Fig. 1. As may be seen in Fig- 5, in assembly of the contact thebifurcated fingers 3|, 32 are struck upwardly from the body of the blank and their upper edges are bent outwardly more readily to receive a tubular contact. The flexible loops formed by the parts 35, 36 in the assembled contact permit considerable lateral and vertical movement of the fingers 3|, 32

with respect to the base members 33, 34 so that time permitting considerable tolerance both in eccentricity 'and.vertical position of this electrode. The. flexible loop of. the tubular electrode contact I3 likewise permits both vertical and .lat-

eral positioning in accordance with variations inv the tubes used; in such highfrequency systems." While I have shown a particular embodiment that .I do not wish to be limited thereto sinoe various modifications ma be made,.and I consuch modifications as fall within the true spirit and sco'peof my invention.

What I claim as new and desire, to secure by Letters'Patent of the United States,- is:

l. A resilient supporting and contact-making. arrangement fo an electron discharge-device of the typehaving a disk electrode and a tubular electrode spaced apart along the axis of said device comprising, a tubular conductive member, a plurality of resilient contacts conductlvely attached to the inner surface of said tubular memher and extending: inwardly therefrom, said contacts being adapted toengage said disk electrode and having innermost edges lying substantially,

on a circle of a diameter such that said contacts are compressed when said disk electrode is inserted therein, a contact for said tubular electrode including a plurality of resilient fingers adapted to engage said tubular electrode, said fingers being formedvintegrally with a supporting member and being connected therewith engage said disk electrode.

the resultant contact structure assures ease in inthrough a' resilient loop, and means supporting said tubular member and said contact in spaced relation, adjacent edges of said resilient contacts and said contact beingspaced apart longitudinally by a distance such that when said tubular electrode is passed through said member and inserted into said fingers said resilient contacts 2. A contact for a disk-like electrode comprising a tubular conductive member; and a plurality of resilient members conductively attached to the inner surface of said tubular member and extending inwardly therefrom, said members having innermost edges lying substantially on a circleof a diameter such that said resilient members are compressed when said electrode is inserted in saidcontact, each of said resilient memture from said flange, the resilient finger of each of said contacts partially overlying the base portion of an adjacent contact.

4. A contact for a disk-like electrode comprising a tubular conductive member, and a plurality of resilient members having a base portion conductively attached to the inner surface of said tubular member and a C-shaped contact portion inclined at an angle of from 20 to 60 with said and contact making arrangement for an electron '75 conductive member and extending inwardly therefrom, the contact portions of said resilient members having innermost edges lying substantially on a circle of a diameter such that said resilient members are compressed when said electrode is inserted in said contact.

5. A resilient supporting and contact-making arrangement for an electron discharge device of the type having a disk electrode anda tubular electrode spaced apart along the axis of said device comprising, a tubular conductive member, a plurality of resilient contacts conductively attached to the inner surface of said tubular member and extending inwardly therefrom, said contacts being adapted to engage said disk electrode and having innermost edges lying substantially on a circle of a diameter such that said contacts are compressed when said disk electrode is inserted therein a contact for said tubular electrode including a plurality of resilient fingers adapted to engage said tubular electrode, means supporting said tubular member and said contact in spaced relation, means supporting adjacent edges of said resilient contacts and said contact in spaced relation. and resilient means supporting said contact whereby said contact may be moved longitudinally and laterally.

6. A contact for a tubular electrode comprising a metallic member having a pair of opposedbiiurcated fingers forming a tube adapted to receive said electrode; said member having a web portion connecting said fingers and forming an end wall for said tube, said member including a pair of flexible arms extending outwardly from said web portion, said arms being bent to form a resilient loop, the ends of said arms remote from said web being overlapped to form a base portion,

7. A resiliently supported contact for a tubular electrode comprising. a flexible metallic memher having a pair of opposed upstanding fingers forming a tube adapted to receive said electrode. the free ends of said fingers being turned outwardly to facilitate entrance of said electrode into said tube, said member having a web portion connecting said fingers and forming an end wall for said tube, said member including a pair of flexible arms extending outwardly from said web portion, said arms being bent to form a resilient loop, the ends of said arms remote from said web being overlapped to form a base portion, said arms having a length suflicient to permit substantial vertical'and lateral movement of said fingers relative to said base portion.

I EDWARD' w, FORSTRDM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 465,430 Desant Dec. 15, 1891 796,821 Dangler Aug. 8, 1905 1,369,221 Currier Feb. 22, 1921 1,586,279 Batchelder et al. May 25, 1926 1,702,451 Phillippi Feb. 19, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 372,140 Great Britain May 5, 1932 444,941 Great Britain Mar. 31, 1936 497,734 Germany 1929 698,323 Germany 1940 

